


Sacrifice

by HansonPhreek



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Boann (Irish Goddess), Consensual Infidelity, Cussing, HP: Epilogue Compliant, Harry Potter Next Generation, Irish Mythology - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-08-10
Updated: 2008-08-10
Packaged: 2018-07-28 21:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7657912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HansonPhreek/pseuds/HansonPhreek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bonding is harder than it seems. Can Albus and Scorpius make it happen?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> **Author's Notes:** A big thank you to my lovely beta, Xemnas! You rock my world babe. The stuff in Italics is flashbacks. I’m basically telling two stories here; hopefully it won’t be two confusing.   
>  The information on geis and Cúchulainn is from Wikipedia and can be seen [here](%E2%80%9D). The information on Boann is from Wikipedia as well and can be found here.  
>  **Warning(s):** M/M relationship, DH compliant, some slight language  
>  **Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.

Two heads, one dark and one light, rested on the back of the couch in the drawing room of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Two bodies sat together, angled towards each other, and two legs crossed over two more. Two hands lay entwined upon one lap.

“I love you,” the blonde said, smiling softly at the brunette.

The brunette Gryffindor echoed the sweet smile, “I love you too, Scorp.”

There was a moment of comfortable silence as the two men simply gazed at each other. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy sighed happily before stating simply, “We still need to set a date, Al.”

Albus Severus Potter nodded. “How about a winter bonding?”

Scorpius thought about that for a moment. He liked winter. Winter meant snow and snow was always fun. “I’d like that. The Manor is always gorgeous in the winter.”

Albus raised one eyebrow questioningly, “The Manor? Who said anything about the Manor?”

“I thought the gardens would be the perfect setting,” the blonde Ravenclaw explained.

Albus thought about that for a moment. “That sounds great. I bet its beautiful covered in snow,” he smiled.

“It is,” Scorpius grinned, before closing the gap between them and placing a soft kiss on the brunette’s lips.

~~~~  
 _All of 6th year sat in the Great Hall on this particular Friday. Normal classes had been cancelled that afternoon, but no one had told the students why. They all sat at their House tables, waiting for some indication as to what was going on._

_After what seemed an eternity, Headmistress Alexis Trimble entered the large room from a door on the left. She was closely followed by the four Heads of Houses and the caretaker, Argus Filch Jr., who was carrying a rather large wooden box._

_The six adults made their way to the center of the hall, where the Heads of Houses and Filch Jr. took their seats at the head table. The students in the hall had gone quiet the moment the Headmistress entered the hall and now they sat facing the professors, waiting as patiently as 16-year-olds could._

_Headmistress Trimble smiled, and then began explaining what was going on. “In an effort to eliminate the tension still in place between the four Houses, your professors and I have come up with a project. You will be paired up with a student from a house different then your own and the two of you will be given an assignment.”_

_“You will then have until May 1st, that’s eight weeks, to complete it. Now,” she clapped her hands together once and then motioned to Filch Jr., “we have placed all of your names in this box.”_

_The caretaker got up and carried the box to where the headmistress stood. “Thank you, Argus,” she nodded to the younger man and took the box. She then placed it on the small table that appeared in front of her and tapped it twice with her wand. “When you hear your name, you are to move to sit with your assigned partner. Let’s begin.”_

_She pulled the lid off the box and two small bits of parchment floated out. “Rose Weasley and Demarcus Thomas.”_

_Rose, being a Gryffindor and therefore full of courage, rose from her seat and quietly moved to sit next to the Hufflepuff she had been paired with. Her cousin gave her a sympathetic look as she took her place next to the lanky teen._

_Another pair of names floated out of the box. “Marlene Zabini and Fiona Bones,” the headmistress announced._

_A small, shy-looking girl rose from the Hufflepuff table after a moment. She walked across the Great Hall to sit next to the Slytherin she had been partnered with, looking terrified the entire way._

_“Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy,” were paired up next. All the professors grinned at the idea, knowing the history of the boys’ fathers. They couldn’t have thought up a better match even if they were given an eternity to try._

_Albus and Scorpius stood up proudly at the exact same moment. Their eyes met across the room and for a few seconds nobody in the hall breathed. Albus made the first move, and soon he was sitting next to the blonde he would be working with for the next eight weeks._

_The two teens smiled at each other and thought happily, ‘This is going to be great!’_

~~~~  
A large tawny owl swept in through the large bay windows on the first floor of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place carrying an old dusty tome. The owl swooped across the room and landed gently in Scorpius’s lap, placing the book down first. “Well hullo, Kale. What’s this?” the blonde asked the bird as he stroked the feathered head.

Kale hooted softly before turning to face the brunette seated next to the young Malfoy. Albus reached a hand out to pat the owl, but Kale nipped at the hand before taking flight. “Evil bird,” Albus mumbled, rubbing his hand, as the bird soared back out the open window.

Scorpius chuckled as he lifted up the heavy book and blew across the cover. Some of the dust cleared to reveal “Malfoy” written in a fancy script. The Ravenclaw furrowed his brow in confusion as his lover peered at the book. “What’s that?” Albus asked.

“It appears to be a book about the Malfoy family,” the blonde replied before lifting the front cover. There he discovered a piece of parchment with a short note scribbled on it. He picked up the parchment and read.

>   
> Son,  
> I thought this would contain some pertinent information dealing with your current situation with Albus.  
> Your Father  
> 

He read the note twice, looking for hidden meaning and finding none. He frowned at his father’s usual habit of not fully explaining himself, before passing the note to the Gryffindor sitting next to him.

He watched as Albus read the note and scowled, “What does he mean? ‘Your current situation’?”

“I assume he is referring to our impending bonding,” Scorpius answered, flipping through the weighty book. Albus leaned closer to get a better look at the pages. “This seems to be a rather detailed family history, dating back to the first known Malfoy.”

Albus placed a finger on one of the pages and read aloud, “J. Malfoy, 1134-1160. Potions: Apothecary. COD: Avada, K. Malfoy.” He gave his lover a confused look.

“That’s Julius Malfoy. Born in 1134, died in 1160. He was a potion maker at the Apothecary. Apparently, he was killed via the killing curse by his brother Karnias Malfoy,” Scorpius explained. “It’s quiet simple really.”

Albus gave him a look that clearly said, “You’re mental,” and frowned. “What information could this book possibly contain that would involve us?”

“That’s the point, isn’t it? He wants me to find it on my own.”

“But why?”

“It’s just how we do things, Al.” Scorpius sighed.

~~~~  
 _Albus spent some time pondering the project he’d been assigned, and the partner he’d been given for said project. He’d always been curious about Scorpius Malfoy, but never really had the chance to meet him. When his name had been announced, followed shortly by Malfoy’s, the brunette Gryffindor had been secretly thrilled._

_Rose Weasley approached the table Albus was sitting at. “What are you thinking about?” she asked her cousin._

_“Hmm? Oh nothing. Just this project. Not sure how we’re gonna do it. Seems a bit complicated,” he answered, staring out the nearby window._

_“You’re lying.” Albus shook his head. “You’re a horrible liar. You were thinking about Scorpius, weren’t you?”_

_Albus looked at his cousin for a moment, wondering if she was actually a powerful legilimens. “Yeah, alright. But in a way I **was** thinking about the project…”_

_Rose chuckled, “Oh Al, you’re so cute. You like him!”_

_“I barely know him, Rose. And keep it down I don’t need James overhearing. He’d never let me live it down.”_

_“You do like him,” she grinned. “Whether you know him or not, you like him.”_

_Albus shook his head ferverently. It wasn’t possible. He’d only talked to the blonde once and only met him a couple days ago. Granted, he’d been watching the Ravenclaw for a bit longer. But no one needed to know that._  
~~~~  
Scorpius spent the next few days simply reading the book his father had sent him. He was learning a lot about his family, but he hadn’t come across anything that he found pertinent. He was beginning to get frustrated.

Albus sighed, watching his lover pour over the large volume on the table in front of him. Albus wished the blonde would find what his father wanted him to discover already. It was killing Albus not knowing what the elder Malfoy considered important. The brunette leaned across the table and peered at the book. “What’s this?” he pointed at something he was unfamiliar with.

“Hmm?” Scorpius glanced at what the brunette was pointing at. “Geis? I’m not sure.” Scorpius had never heard of a geis before. He stared at the entry for a moment. “It seems to be making reference to something at the back.” 

The blonde flipped to the end of the book and began flipping through the pages there. “Yes. There’s some more about it here. ‘Geis imposed by Boann. No Malfoy shall ever commit themselves to another male’,” Scorpius read aloud. 

Albus furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Is this what your dad wanted you to find?”

“It appears so. Though I’m not entirely sure of the meaning of it all.” Scorpius scanned the page again, hoping he’d missed something. He frowned, “Looks like I’ll be doing some research.”

Albus echoed the blonde’s frown. “Let me get Rose, she can help. She likes researching things. I’m still not sure how she ended up in Gryffindor and not with you in Ravenclaw.” Scorpius nodded and closed the book. “The Manor?”

“Yeah. I’ll meet you in the library,” Scorpius picked up the book, planted a soft kiss on Albus’s lips, and disapparated.

“Rose!” Albus yelled as he entered the main hallway of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. “Rose! I need your help!”

Rose came jogging down the stairs almost immediately. “What’s wrong?” she asked, concern evident in her voice.

“Well, I don’t know actually. You know how Scorp has been reading through that book?” Albus paused and Rose nodded for him to continue. “Well, he came across an entry today that seems to be what he was looking for. Something about a geis or something…”

Rose nodded again. “Alright. Where is he and how can I help?”

“He went ahead to the Manor. I was hoping you’d help us research it.” Albus looked hopefully, and was already moving toward the fireplace. 

“Of course,” Rose answered without hesitation. “Anything for you and Scorp. Let’s go.” 

Albus gave her a huge grin and grabbed a handful of floo powder. He tossed it into the fire, stepped in and shouted “Malfoy Manor!”  
~~~~  
 _Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy was not thinking about any Potters. He wasn’t. At least, that’s what he would say if someone were to ask him. In truth he couldn’t stop thinking about one particular messy haired Gryffindor. They’d been working on their “interhouse unity project” for just over a week now, meeting every evening after dinner._

_Albus Severus Potter consumed the blonde’s thoughts. It was distracting him from his schoolwork, and that was not to be allowed. He was supposed to be studying Transfiguration right now, but his thoughts kept straying. It was beginning to frustrate him._

_He sighed heavily. “This is not working,” he mumbled to himself as he closed his book. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to refocus his mind onto important tasks. It didn’t work. Instead it supplied him with an image of the brunette he was supposed to be forgetting._

_He shook his head, as if to clear the picture from his mind, and sighed again when the movement didn’t help. “Come on, Scorp. You have to focus,” he told himself. A nearby Ravenclaw gave him a suspicious glance before returning back to her book. Scorpius decided that, maybe, hopefully, a walk would help._

~~~~  
Scorpius, Albus and Rose spent hours in the dusty Malfoy family library pouring over book after book. No one had found anything yet. Currently, Rose was skimming through a book on Celtic gods and goddesses. She sighed, feeling as if they were never going to find what they were looking for. Then she suddenly perked up, “Guys! Come look at this!”

Both men looked up from the books they were reading; hope shinning in their eyes. “What have you got?” Albus asked.

“Come and see for yourself. I think I’ve found Boann!” The two males leapt up from their seats and soon were reading over Rose’s shoulder. 

“The goddess of the River Boyne. Daughter of Delbáeth,” Scorpius read out loud. “Well, at least now we know where to concentrate our research.”

“Huh?” Albus asked confused.

Rose shook her head at her cousin, “It means we need to focus on Irish Mythology, idiot!”

“Oh.”

More time passed, so slowly Albus thought he’d die in that library before they find the answers they need. But they all worked on. And on. And on.

Hours later, Scorpius’s mother brought a tray into the room laden with sandwiches and tea. “You must be hungry by now,” she stated simply, placing the tray on the table between them. Albus was the first to attack, his stomach had started rumbling a long time ago. 

Scorpius barely looked up from the book he was reading as he reached out for a sandwich and mumbled, “Thanks mum.”

Rose smiled warmly at Astoria and poured three cups of tea before biting into a sandwich. She passed the tea around, “Thank you Mrs. Malfoy,” and then continued reading.

Albus munched on his second sandwich while he said “Yeah, thanks.” Astoria smiled at the three young adults as she headed for the door. 

“You might try _The Tain_ ,” she offered as she exited the room and shut the door softly.

Scorpius raised one eyebrow momentarily before rushing off to locate the aforementioned book. His mom always liked to help him, and he was never more grateful for this fact than at that very moment. Albus had paused in his reading to watch the blonde, and gave him a small smile when he turned back to the table.

Rose didn’t pause in her reading, simply asking, “What’s _The Tain_?” while flipping a page.

“The tale of Cúchulainn. I hadn’t thought of looking at individual myths…” Scorpius mused as he sat back down at the table, next to Albus.

~~~~  
 _Scorpius breathed in the fresh air of the chilly spring evening. This was a good idea; his mind was already beginning to clear. Maybe after a walk around the lake he’d be able to focus on his homework. He smiled as he headed towards the still water._

_As he neared the large lake, he noticed a figure sitting by the edge. Scorpius wondered who it was as he approached. Once only a few steps away, he recognized the messy black hair and frowned. He’d gone on this walk to forget about the boy, not run into him. He took a deep breath and spoke, “Hey.”_

_Albus turned around and looked up at the blonde. “Hey,” he replied, smiling softly._

_Scorpius melted and sat down next to the brunette. They sat in comfortable silence for a long while, each thinking about the other. Neither boy wanted to break the silence and ruin the moment, but they knew it wouldn’t last forever._

_Albus decided it was now or never. It was time for him to go for it, damn the consequences. He turned to the other wizard and watched him critically for a moment. Scorpius felt the green eyes watching him and turned to meet the gaze._

_A moment of nothing passed, before Albus leaned closer to the blonde and brushed their lips together. He looked for permission in Scorpius’s gray eyes and when he saw it, he pressed their lips fully together._

~~~~  
Albus had given up looking for anything useful the moment Astoria had hinted at where to look, and now he was getting bored. Scorpius was still reading the recommended book and hadn’t said anything yet. Rose was still pouring through various books about Celtic mythology, and she hadn’t found anything about geasa.

Albus sighed. “Found anything yet?” he asked his lover and his cousin.

Rose shook her head, not even bothering to look up from the book in front of her. Scorpius looked up at the brunette. “Well, this book talks about a couple things he wasn’t able to do. It hints that if he did, he’d die. Seems like a goddess had forbidden him from eating the meat of a dog and from refusing any food offered to him by a woman.”

The room stayed silent for a moment, and then Rose suddenly shouted, “I’ve found it!” Both boys whipped their heads around to look at her, waiting for more information. “According to this book, a geis is a gift, sometimes seen more as a curse, bestowed upon a person by a goddess. If someone breaks their geis, they will suffer dishonor or death.”

“So then this Cúchulainn person was under the influence of a geis?” Albus asked a bit confused by all this.

“It appears so. And, if I remember the tale correctly, he ended up dieing because of it,” Scorpius answered, frowning. “This doesn’t bode well for us, Al.”

“Why?”

“Well, the Malfoy family is under the influence of a geis. ‘No Malfoy shall ever commit themselves to another male’,” Rose reminded her cousin.

Albus furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and thought for a moment. When realization dawned on him, Scorpius and Rose both knew. “Fuck!”

~~~~  
 _Over the course of the next few weeks, things were wonderful for the two teens. They spent every evening together working on their project and snogging. More snogging than working it seemed. But, in the end, they managed to finish their project on time, and managed to impress a few professors in the process._

_As a reward for the sixth years working so well together, no one had been killed and that was all the headmistress really wanted, the professors planned a dance. One afternoon they gathered the students and made an announcement._

_As the students assembled in the Great Hall, many chose to sit with Houses that were not their own. Headmistress Trimble smiled from her place at the head table, glad that her plan had worked with some of the students. The four Heads of Houses stood in front of the head table once everyone had settled down._

_“In celebration of finishing your projects on time, we have planned a dance!” announced Professor Neville Longbottom, head of Gryffindor._

_The students cheered, and for a moment it looked like they would never settle back down. After what seemed like forever, the hall was quiet enough for Professor Longbottom to continue. “Next Saturday, at 7:00, the Great Hall will be transformed for you sixth years and your dates.”_

_Albus knew it was the prefect chance for him to officially start dating Scorpius. Now all he had to do was convince the blonde of this. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too hard._

~~~~  
Albus Severus Potter was furious. Furious with someone who had lived thousands of years ago. Furious with the Malfoy that felt the need to piss off a goddess. But since that Malfoy was no longer around, he was taking his anger and frustration out on the youngest decedent.

“What do you mean we can’t bond?” the brunette yelled. “This isn’t fair. That was years and years ago. Why should it matter now?”

Scorpius sighed; Albus had been going on like this for at least five minutes now. “Because if we go against it, I’ll be dishonored. Or killed. And we don’t want to risk that, do we?” he responded calmly.

Albus pouted, before sinking into the nearest chair, looking of defeated, “No.” He looked at Rose, who had been silent through his rant, “Isn’t there anything we can do?”

Rose kept her face impassive as she made her way over to her cousin. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder as he looked up at her. “I don’t know,” she stated simply.

“I know! We’ll ask your dad. He’ll know, right?” Albus looked at his lover, hopefully. 

Scorpius frowned, “We can try… But don’t get your hopes up too high. He might not know what to do about it either.”

Albus jumped up from his seat and practically ran from the room. Rose and Scorpius shared an amused glance before following after him.

~~~~  
 _Now that the two boys weren’t working on a project it seemed almost odd for them to meet up. But Albus continued to look for reasons for them to spend time together, not that Scorpius was objecting. After learning about the dance that was fast approaching, Albus was determined to make the blonde his boyfriend and go on their first date._

_But he was having trouble coming up with a plan. And when in need of a plan, Rose Weasley was the one to see, so that is what he did. “Rose, I need help.”_

_“Not now, Albus,” she sighed, skimming through the notes she took earlier that day in Herbology. “I’m busy.”_

_Albus pouted, “But I need you.”_

_She didn’t even bother looking up from the parchment in front of her, “Later. Please? I’m trying to study.”_

_Albus looked dejected and slumped into the nearest armchair, “Fine.”_

~~~~  
Albus pushed the door to the study open and froze immediately. Inside was not only Draco Malfoy, but also Albus’s father. When the door flew open the two men darted to opposite sides of the room, but they weren’t fooling the young Gryffindor. “What’s going on here?”

“Um… what?” Harry Potter asked, feigning innocence. 

Albus eyed the two men critically for a moment. “What were you two doing?” Harry blushed slightly and the younger brunette raised one eyebrow. “That’s kind of what I thought,” Albus stated simply.

Scorpius and Rose came up behind Albus and asked, almost simultaneously, “What’s wrong?”

Albus turned to face his lover and smiled, “Our fathers were just snogging.”

Rose’s jaw dropped, but she remained silent. She knew that this was going to be interesting to watch, but that it was between the fathers and sons. It was not her place to get involved. 

Scorpius was speechless. He had no idea what to say. So he simply stared at his father in shock. He knew that if he did so long enough, the older blonde would start speaking eventually.

It worked, but on the wrong father. “Boys, we can explain,” Harry spoke. He motioned for them to take a seat. Albus grabbed hold of Scorpius’s arm and pulled him to the couch in front of the fireplace. They looked up at their fathers expectantly. 

Neither Draco nor Harry said anything. An awkward silence descended upon the room. From her place in the doorway, Rose winced. She was worried for the two younger men. Albus seemed fine, but Scorpius looked positively scandalized. And he hadn’t even witnessed it.

“So obviously you have been having an illicit affair,” Albus explained for them. “For how long?”

Harry blushed again and Albus chuckled, “That long then?”

~~~~  
 _A few hours later, Albus was still sitting in the armchair. He had fallen asleep after sitting there for only half an hour and now he was having the most wonderful dream. He smiled in his sleep, and Rose chuckled to herself. She figured he must have been dreaming about a certain blonde Ravenclaw._

_She was right. Albus was dreaming about Scorpius. It seemed like all his dreams had been taken over by the gray-eyed teen. While he didn’t mind dreaming about the blonde, it was getting to be a bit much. Every night it was nearly the same thing. Now, he’d even begun to daydream it._

_Rose sighed as she closed the book she was reading. She needed a break from studying, so she might as well wake Albus up and find out what he wanted. She packed her books and notes into her bag and stood up, stretching. Rose walked over to her cousin, and shook him gently, “Albus, wake up.”_

_The brunette yawned and opened his eyes. “You done studying?” he asked tiredly._

_“No, but I need a break. What is it that you wanted?”_

_Albus stood up, “Walk with me?” Before she could answer he was already moving towards the portrait hole. He didn’t say much as they made their way down to the entrance hallway and out onto the grounds. Rose remained silent as well, not wanting to push him._

_As they neared the Black Lake, Albus sighed. “I need a plan.”_

_Rose nodded, before taking a seat under a large oak tree. “What kind of plan?”_

_Albus sat next to her, “I want to make Scorp my boyfriend and take him to the dance.”_

_Rose grinned. “I figured it was something like that,” she mused. They sat in silence for some time, while Rose formulated a plan. “I’ve got it! It’s rather simple, but it should work.”_

~~~~  
The four men spent a long time talking, Albus and Scorpius having momentarily forgotten their problem. Albus thought the whole thing was kind of funny. Scorpius had been upset by it at first, but he was slowly warming up to the idea. 

Rose had quietly left the room after the initial shock had worn off and had run into Astoria at the other end of the hall. The two of them decided that it would be best to leave the boys alone for a while, and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. 

“So let me get this straight. Uncle Harry and Draco started dating about a year after the war, but when Draco found out about the geis, they knew things wouldn’t work out. So they decided to go off and get married and have kids,” Rose summed up their conversation and Astoria nodded. “But then, they couldn’t be apart, so they worked things out with you and Aunt Ginny. Now they get together when they can, but they’re still happy being married?”

“Yep, that’s basically it,” Astoria smiled. “It was best this way for all of us. Ginny and I still get our happy family and Draco and Harry get each other.”

“And you don’t get jealous?”

“I did at first, but then Draco sat me down and we talked. After a while, I was ok with it. Took a bit of adjustment on all our parts, but things worked out perfectly in the end.” Astoria shrugged and gave Rose a smiled.

The two women loaded up a couple trays with the food they had made. It was getting late and they knew the men had to be getting hungry. They made their was across the Manor in silence, levitating the trays in front of them. Rose took a deep breath as they pushed the door to the study open.

~~~~  
 _“You’re sure this will work?” Albus asked his cousin for the hundredth time._

_Rose simply nodded. She’d never seen the brunette this nervous before and she was beginning to think that her simple plan might not work after all._

_“Remember, all you have to do is ask. It’s obvious he’s interested,” Rose told her cousin. That was her plan after all, Albus simply had to let the blonde know how he felt. She hoped it worked._

_“Right,” Albus frowned, Rose was rarely wrong. But it did happen on occasion, he just hoped that this wasn’t one of those times._

_Rose smiled reassuringly before turning and walking away. It was her job to find the blonde and get him out to the lake, where Albus was waiting. As she walked away, she heard the brunette sigh worriedly._

_Albus hated waiting, but that was what he had to do now. He trusted Rose, but sometimes she was a bit too optimistic. Her plan this time was surprisingly simple, and Albus couldn’t help but worry about it._

_It seemed to take forever, but eventually Albus saw two figures approaching. His trepidation increased exponentially in mere seconds. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a steadying breath, and smiled._

_“So, here he is…” Rose stated before practically running away._

_Scorpius looked after her in confusion. “You have a weird family,” he told Albus._

_Albus chuckled softly. “Yeah, but there’s nothing I can do about that.”_

_“I guess not.” Scorpius smiled and moved to sit under the tree currently shading Albus. They both sat, and Scorpius turned to face the Gryffindor. “She said you had something to ask me…”_

_“Yeah. It’s about, well, us,” Albus began, unsure of what exactly to say._

_Scorpius smiled, “You wanted to ask me to the dance?”_

_Albus blushed, “Yes, and…”_

_“And you want to start dating?” Albus could only nod. “Exclusively?”_

_Albus remained silent, but leaned in to kiss the blonde. He wondered, as the Ravenclaw deepened the kiss, if his thoughts were that easy to read._

~~~~  
When the two women arrived with dinner, the men were glad to see them. It had been a long couple of hours, explaining what was going on. The fathers were tired, but relieved to have things out in the open finally. Albus was taking it very well, and was just glad that his father was happy.

Scorpius, on the other hand, wasn’t doing so well. He was having a hard time believing that his mother was fine with the arrangement. His head was swimming with unanswered questions. Questions that he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

Astoria smiled at the men as she placed the food on the table. Everyone except Scorpius took a plate and began filing them with food. Astoria looked at her son critically, “What’s wrong sweetie?”

Scorpius frowned slightly, “Nothing. It’s just a lot to take in is all.” His mother smiled sweetly at him and nodded her understanding.

Once everyone had eaten some, Harry spoke to Albus, “Did you have something you were going to say when you came bursting in here in the first place?”

Albus froze, fork partway to his mouth. “Yeah, I had a question for Draco. About the geis.”

“So you found that, then?” Draco asked, pushing his plate toward the center of the table. Albus, Scorpius and Rose all nodded. “And that’s why you’re here Rose, to help them sort it all out?” 

“Albus asked me to help them find out more about it…” Rose answered.

“Ok. What did you want to know?” Draco settled more comfortably into his chair, this might take a while.

“Well, we were wondering if you knew how to lift it. We couldn’t find anything about getting rid of a geis,” Albus said.

Draco frowned, “No you wouldn’t find anything about that. It’s never been done before.” Albus pouted and Scorpius sighed. “But Harry and I have a theory. We’ve been discussing this problem and have an idea of something that just might work.”

Albus and Scorpius both sat forward in their seats, waiting expectantly for Draco to finish. It was Harry that spoke first though. “We think, if someone in the Malfoy family makes a sacrifice in honor of Boann, then she may lift the geis.”

Albus furrowed his eyebrows in concentration, trying to figure out what that could mean. “What kind of sacrifice?”

Scorpius spoke before Harry or Draco could answer, “You’re going to give up each other for us, aren’t you?” The two older men nodded, and Astoria gasped.

“There has to be another way,” Albus jumped up from his seat. “We just have to look harder.”

Harry frowned as he stood and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “There is no other way. If we do this, you two can bond. If we don’t, you will never be able to.” Albus’s shoulders slumped in resignation.

~~~~  
 _The next week flew by, and the two teens spent as much time together as possible. Albus spent more time in the library in that one week then he had his entire time at Hogwarts. But he was determined to spend all his free time with his boyfriend, and if that meant sitting in the library then that was just a sacrifice he would have to make._

_Scorpius thought it was kind of cute that Albus would spend so much time in the dark library, when it was so nice outside. The blonde enjoyed having his boyfriend around so much, and didn’t even comment on the fact that the brunette seemed to spend all that time simply staring at him, when he could have been doing essays._

_The night of the dance was there before they knew it and soon Albus was making his way up to the Ravenclaw tower to pick up his date. He smiled to himself as he approached to entrance to the tower. Scorpius had said he’d meet him at the door at exactly 6:52. Albus chuckled as he thought about Scorpius’s reasoning for that time. The blonde had informed him that it takes exactly 6 minutes and 53 second to walk from Ravenclaw tower to the Great Hall, and that meeting then would give them approximately one minute of leeway._

_The brunette smiled as the door swung open and Scorpius stepped through. The Ravenclaw returned the smile and together they made their way down the spiral staircase. “You look great,” Albus said, blushing slightly._

_It was true; the blonde was wearing the finest dress robes Albus had ever seen. They were the dark blue, nearly black, with tiny silver pin striping. Albus wished he’d had something as nice as that to wear._

_Scorpius smiled at him, “Thank you. You’re looking rather dashing as well.”_

_They remained silent the rest of the way to the Great Hall, and arrived there right on time. Scorpius grinned, “I told you we’d get here at exactly 7.”_

_Albus laughed quietly, “Yes you did.”_

_They entered the hall and were immediately surrounded by people. While they hadn’t hidden their relationship, they had neglected to tell almost everyone. Upon entering the hall, it seemed that people wanted to know what exactly was going on between them._

_They waited for those people around them to stop chattering, and Albus spoke first. “I believe you all know my boyfriend, Scorpius,” he said simply before taking the blonde by the wrist and leading him towards a table laden with drinks._

~~~~  
Albus had spent a good bit of time trying to convince his father that giving up his relationship with Draco couldn’t be the only solution. But as time went by, Harry kept insisting that it was. As winter steadily approached, Albus finally admitted defeat. He wasn’t thrilled to have to take his father’s lover away, but he knew Harry would never give up.

Scorpius had spent a good bit of time processing all the new information he’d learned about his family. He finds out that his father has had a secret lover for years, and then Draco offers to give it up for him. It was a lot to think about, and Scorpius was glad that his father cared so much for him.

December arrived much faster than any of the men anticipated and before they knew it, it was time for Harry and Draco to make their sacrifice and Albus and Scorpius to bond. All four men were nervous and excited.

Harry smiled as he approached his youngest son, “You ready?”

Albus took a deep breath before answering, “For you to sacrifice you’re lover for me? No. For me to bond to my lover? Yes.”

Harry laughed softly. “I can understand that.” He embraced his son in a tight hug, “I’d give anything for you to be happy.”

Albus smiled, “I can tell.” They both chuckled then. “Thanks,” he hugged his father tighter.

Across the Manor, Scorpius and Draco were having a similar conversation. “You’re sure you want to do this father?” Scorpius bit his lip, giving his father one last chance to back out.

Draco smiled at his only child and pulled him into a hug, “I’m positive. I want you to have everything you could ever want.”

Scorpius looked up at his father and grinned, “That means a lot to me.”

“I know, son, I know.”


End file.
